【文章內(nèi)容簡(jiǎn)介】 鍛煉而進(jìn)行比賽?？墒且涣可婕暗綐s譽(yù)問題，一旦你想到你和某一團(tuán)體會(huì)因?yàn)槟爿敹鴣G臉時(shí)，那么最野蠻的爭(zhēng)斗天性便會(huì)激發(fā)起來。即使是僅僅參加過學(xué)校足球賽的人也有種體會(huì)。在國(guó)際比賽中，體育簡(jiǎn)直是一場(chǎng)模擬戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)。但是，要緊的還不是運(yùn)動(dòng)員的行為，而是觀眾的態(tài)度，以及觀眾身后各個(gè)國(guó)家的態(tài)度。面對(duì)著這些荒唐 的比賽，參賽的各個(gè)國(guó)家會(huì)如癡如狂，甚至煞有介事地相信 至少在短期內(nèi)如此 跑跑、跳跳、踢踢球是對(duì)一個(gè)民族品德素質(zhì)的檢驗(yàn)。 Lesson 7 Bats 蝙蝠 Not all sounds made by animals serve as language, and we have only to turn to that extraordinary discovery of echolocation in bats to see a case in which the voice plays a strictly utilitarian role. To get a full appreciation of what this means we must turn first to some recent human inventions. Everyone knows that if he shouts in the vicinity of a wall or a mountainside, an echo will e back. The further off this solid obstruction, the longer time will elapse for the return of the echo. A sound made by tapping on the hull of a ship will be reflected from the sea bottom, and by measuring the time interval between the taps and the receipt of the echoes, the depth of the sea at that point can be calculated. So was born the echosounding apparatus, now in general use in ships. Every solid object will reflect a sound, varying according to the size and nature of the object. A shoal of fish will do this. So it is a paratively simple step from locating the sea bottom to locating a shoal of fish. With experience, and with improved apparatus, it is now possible not only to locate a shoal but to tell if it is herring, cod, or other wellknown fish, by the pattern of its echo. It has been found that certain bats emit squeaks and by receiving the echoes, they can locate and steer clear of obstacles or locate flying insects on which they feed. This echolocation in bats is often pared with radar, the principle of which is similar. 參考譯文 動(dòng)物發(fā)出的聲音不都是用作語言交際。我們只要看一看蝙蝠回聲定位這一極不尋常的發(fā)現(xiàn)，就可以探究一下聲音在什么情況下有絕對(duì)的實(shí)用價(jià)值。 要透徹理解這句話的意義，我們應(yīng)先回顧一下人類最近的幾項(xiàng)發(fā)明。大家都知道，在墻壁或山腰附近發(fā)出的喊聲，就會(huì)聽到回聲。固體障礙物越遠(yuǎn)?；芈暦祷厮脮r(shí)間就越長(zhǎng)。敲打船體所發(fā)了的聲音會(huì)從海底傳回來，測(cè)出回聲間隔的時(shí)間，便可算出該處海洋的深度。這樣就產(chǎn)生了目前各種船舶上普遍應(yīng)用的回聲探測(cè)儀。任何固體者反射聲音，反射的聲音因物體的大小和性質(zhì)的不同而不同。魚群也反射聲 音。從測(cè)定海深到測(cè)定魚群，這一進(jìn)展比較容易。根據(jù)經(jīng)驗(yàn)和改進(jìn)了的儀器，不僅能夠確定魚群的位置，而且可以根據(jù)魚群回聲的特點(diǎn)分辨出是鯡魚、鱈魚，這是人們所熟悉的其他魚。 人們發(fā)現(xiàn)，某些蝙蝠能發(fā)出尖叫聲，并能通過回聲來確定并躲開障礙物，或找到它們賴以為生的昆蟲。蝙蝠這種回聲定位常常可與雷達(dá)相比較，其原理是相似的。 Lesson 8 Trading standards 貿(mào)易標(biāo)準(zhǔn) Chickens slaughtered in the United States, claim officials in Brussels, are not fit to grace European tables. No, say the American: our fowl are fine, we simply clean them in a different way. These days, it is differences in national regulations, far more than tariffs, that put sand in the wheels of trade between rich countries. It is not just farmers who are plaining. An electric razor that meets the European Union39。s safety standards must be approved by American testers before it can be sold in the United States, and an Americanmade dialysis machine needs the EU39。s okay before is hits the market in Europe. As it happens, a razor that is safe in Europe is unlikely to electrocute Americans. So, ask businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, why have two lots of tests where one would do? Politicians agree, in principle, so America and the EU have been trying to reach a deal which would eliminate the need to doubletest many products. They hope to finish in time for a trade summit between America and the EU on May 28TH. Although negotiators are optimistic, the details are plex enough that they may be hardpressed to get a deal at all. Why? One difficulty is to construct the agreements. The Americans would happily reach one accord on standards for medical devices and them hammer out different pacts covering, say, electronic goods and drug manufacturing. The EU following fine continental traditions wants agreement on general principles, which could be applied to many types of products and perhaps extended to other countries. 參考譯文 布魯塞爾的官員說，在美國(guó)屠宰的雞不適于用來裝點(diǎn)歐洲的餐桌。不，美國(guó)人說，我們的家禽很好，只是我們使用了另一種清洗方式。當(dāng)前，是各國(guó)管理?xiàng)l例上的差異，而不是關(guān)稅阻礙了發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家之間的貿(mào)易。并不僅僅是農(nóng)民在抱怨。一把符合歐洲聯(lián)盟安全標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的電動(dòng)剃須刀必須得到美國(guó)檢測(cè)人員的認(rèn)可，方可在美國(guó)市場(chǎng)上銷售；而美國(guó)制造的透析儀也要得到歐盟的首肯才能進(jìn)入歐洲市場(chǎng)。 碰巧在歐洲使用安全的剃須刀不大可能使美國(guó)人觸電身亡，因此，大西洋兩岸的企業(yè)都在問，當(dāng)一套測(cè)試可以解決問題時(shí)，為什么需要兩套呢？政治家在原則 上同意了， 因此，美國(guó)和歐洲一直在尋求達(dá)成協(xié)議，以便為許多產(chǎn)品取消雙重檢查。他們希望盡早達(dá)成協(xié)議，為 5月 28日舉行的美國(guó)和歐洲貿(mào)易的最高通級(jí)會(huì)議作準(zhǔn)備。然談判代表持樂觀態(tài)度，但協(xié)議細(xì)節(jié)如此復(fù)雜，他們所面臨的困難很可能使他們無法取得一致。 為什么呢？困難之一是起草這些協(xié)議。美國(guó)人很愿意就醫(yī)療器械的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)達(dá)成一個(gè)協(xié)議，然后推敲出不同的合同，用以涵蓋 比如說 電子產(chǎn)品和藥品的生產(chǎn)。歐洲人遵循優(yōu)良的大陸傳統(tǒng)，則希望就普遍的原則取得一致，而這些原則適用于許多不同產(chǎn)品，同時(shí)可能延伸到其它國(guó)家。 Lesson 9 Royal espionage 王室諜報(bào)活動(dòng) Alfred the Great acted his own spy, visiting Danish camps disguised as a minstrel. In those days wandering minstrels were wele everywhere. They were not fighting men, and their harp was their passport. Alfred had learned many of their ballads in his youth, and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks and simple conjuring. While Alfred39。s little army slowly began to gather at Athelney, the king himself set out to perate the camp of Guthrum, the mander of the Danish invaders. There had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither Alfred went. He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the selfconfidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual. They lived well, on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions. There they collected women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them soft. Alfred stayed in the camp a week before he returned to Athelney. The force there assembled was trivial pared with the Danish horde. But Alfred had deduced that the Danes were no longer fit for prolonged battle: and that their missariat had no anization, but depended on irregular raids. So, faced with the Danish advance, Alfred did not risk open battle but harried the enemy. He was constantly on the move, drawing the Danes after him. His patrols halted the raiding parties: hunger assailed the Danish army. Now Alfred began a long series of skirmishes and within a month the Danes had surrendered. The episode could reasonably serve as a unique epic of royal espionage! 參考譯文